


Mama Knows Best

by abeth_zuppa



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2018-05-27
Packaged: 2019-05-14 05:54:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14763887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abeth_zuppa/pseuds/abeth_zuppa
Summary: After the hazing at the Junior Ranger Scouts meeting, Nick goes home to seek comfort from his mom.





	Mama Knows Best

Eight-year-old Nick Wilde just wanted to be a Junior Ranger Scout like the other kids in the neighborhood. He wanted to go on adventures, like camping and trips to the museum, with the other scouts. He didn’t care if he was a “predator” and they were “prey”. 

He just wanted to have friends and to be accepted. 

But that didn’t happen. As soon as he swore the oath of the Junior Ranger Scouts, they attacked him. He struggled as they put a muzzle on his snout. He tried to get out of the restraining apparatus, but they wouldn’t let him. They laughed, telling him that they couldn’t let a predator like him into the group. As he ran outside with the muzzle still on his snout, he could still hear them taunting him. 

“Are you gonna cry?”

He sat down next to the building, whispering how he was not going to cry. He wrestled with the muzzle before figuring out how to get it off of him. He threw it, watching as it landed only about a foot from him. Angry sobs wracked his small body as the other scouts closed the door, refusing to let him back into the group. 

What did I do wrong?

He looked down at his uniform. He had all the important parts: the shirt, bandana, pants, and hat were all in place. His mother had literally worked her tail off over the past few months to save up enough money for his registration fees and the scout uniform. 

Did I mess up the oath?

He replayed the oath in his head. No, he had said it correctly. He remembered practicing with his mom for weeks after getting the scout books and her assisting him in memorizing the oath in the car before he went to the first meeting. 

Was it…because I’m a fox?

Nick sniffled and wiped his eyes. Why did it matter if he was a fox or not? He wanted to be a scout, just like all the other kids. 

Knowing that he wasn’t going to be let in, no matter how much he knocked on the closed door, he decided to head home.  
\---  
Nick returned to his house and shut the door quietly, hoping his mother would not hear him returning. He started to sneak up the stairs to his room when his mother caught sight of him from the kitchen. 

“Nick, what are you doing home early? I thought you were at your Ranger Scout meeting”, she said. 

Nick didn’t respond. 

“Sweetie, what’s wrong?”, she asked. 

He turned his face away from her. There was no way he was going to cry in front of her. His mother came out of the kitchen to the hallway and got down on her knees. She placed a gentle paw on his shoulder. 

“Did something happen at the meeting?”

Remembering what had occurred, he burst into tears. His mom, surprised by his reaction, held him close to her and gave him a tight hug. She wrapped her arms around him and ran a soothing paw up and down his back. Nick hiccupped and cried, Mrs. Wilde remaining silent. After a few minutes of his emotional release, Mrs. Wilde spoke again. 

“Come on, Nick. Let’s go to the living room and talk about it. I’ll make you some hot chocolate”.  
\---  
He went to the living room, waiting for his mom to come back. He took a seat on the old plaid couch that smelled slightly of dust and listened to his mom rummage around in the kitchen. The delicious smell of chocolate hit his nose and calmed him down a little bit. His mom brought out two mugs of hot chocolate and handed her son his favorite mug, full of hot chocolate, extra whipped cream and marshmallows. 

“Now, tell me what happened, sweetie”.

Through sniffles and sips of cocoa, he told her about what had happened, with the muzzle being attached to him and the others teasing him. 

“They…they called me a predator and said they, they, they didn’t trust me!”

The mother fox stroked the fur on his head, attempting to soothe her upset son. 

"Mama...are we bad?"

She placed her mug of hot chocolate down on the table. 

“Nicholas Wilde, listen to me. We are not bad. I raised you and your siblings to be good, honest and upright citizens, to go against what others think about foxes and other predators and to prove them wrong. And I want you to know that even though others may look down on you, never hate them in return.”

Nick looked up at his mom, rather confused by what she said. 

“But how can I not hate them, after what they did to me?” he asked. 

The mother fox smiled. 

“I know it may be hard, sweetie. What they did to you was mean. But you can’t fight hate with hate, just like you don’t use a fire to put out a fire. You have to stay strong and don’t let what they say get to you. You must continue being intelligent, kind, and honest, just like I taught you and the other kits. Can you promise me that, Nick?”

Nick sipped the last few drops of his hot chocolate and hugged his mom, the tears in his eyes drying. 

“I promise, Mama!”

**Author's Note:**

> This has been sitting on my laptop ever since I saw Zootopia 2 years ago. I really wanted to add more to Nick's experience at the Junior Ranger Scout meeting, especially since he mentioned how his mom sacrificed a lot to get him into the troop. I'm still a bit rusty at writing, so please send any comments or suggestions my way.


End file.
